"Actor: Ben Crop"

• Mother Nature SOS | DVD | (15/11/2010) from £12.41   |  Saving you £1.58 (11.30%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Coral reefs throughout the world are dying. Causes of this sad situation are many pollution commercial fishing coastal development and tourism. In some parts of the world it' s too late to save the coral reefs but if the remaining reefs are to survive careful management is needed. In small Pacific islands where there is little or no tourism and the population continue to live in a traditional way the coral reefs remain pristine. Australia's grey nurse shark population is on the brink of extinction. It began in the early 60's fed by the false belief that this shark was a man-eater and its own physical makeup - a nasty - looking set of ragged teeth. In the 60's shark-meshing programs began that snared hundreds of local grey nurse. At the same time the new sport of shark hunting targeted these slow moving sharks that schooled in 'shark gutters' off the NSW coast. Ben Cropp is the ideal host who was the most famous of the 60's shark hunters who then swapped his killer spear for an underwater camera and began capturing the grey nurse on film instead of a dead trophy. Adventurer Ben Cropp documents the relationship between humans and the Pelican. This beautiful bird is a common sight along the coast of Australia often appearing on beaches at regular times each day to be fed fish by tourists or waiting for fishing boats to return and feed them unwanted scraps. Sadly it's this acceptance of humans that causes the plight of the Pelican with injuries from fishing hooks and line and poisoning by pollutants becoming common in some areas.

• Tale Of A Shark Hunter | DVD | (16/11/2009) from £7.46   |  Saving you £2.53 (25.30%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Ben Cropp is a famous shark hunter. His defence was once only a spear between himself and the shark. Now he joins the shark only a metre away armed only with a camera.In 52 years of diving there have been many changes in Ben's remarkable career. Ben began diving back in 1950 and became a champion spearfisherman at a time when the pristine reefs were teeming with fish. In 1963 he swapped his speargun for an underwater camera and turned to making shark hunting films. Now 40 years later with more than 100 wildlife documentaries Ben Cropp has become a living legend. This is the story of a Shark Hunter.

• The Coral Sea | DVD | (21/09/2009) from £10.94   |  Saving you £2.04 (25.66%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In the Coral Sea east of Queensland and south of the Solomons lie many plateaus of coral that rise to the surface and are capped with coral islands. They are so remote and rarely visited and yet they are beautiful islands abundant with nesting birds and turtles. The difference between these islands and their counterparts on the Great Barrier Reef is that they sparkle with greater colour and contrast. The backdrop to the white plumage of the nesting birds is of green foliage a pure white beach and a blue lagoon of amazing clarity. Scuba divers have voted the Coral Sea the best dive location in the world. The visibility is a standard 50 metres of better. That's exceptional! All these attributes draw Ben Cropp to these coral isles in the month of November when the seas are calm cyclones still absent and the islands come alive with nesting birds and turtles. All this activity draws the predators. Sharks patrol the beach circling the bay over and over in the hope of scavenging a helpless chick. Such is the visibility that Ben can wait with underwater camera on the beach see a shark coming 50 metres away and duck under the water and view the oncoming shark that seemingly is right there in front of him. The green turtles mate in the coral lagoon and draw the tiger sharks in. The females are exhausted from laying at night and mating in the day and are easy prey. The males are more alert and less likely to be eaten. Ben and his team scuba dive these crystal waters with wonderful coral gardens big fish and many sharks that go into a feeding frenzy when food is available. Down in this silent world its difficult to imagine that back in 1942 this area exploded in the deafening roar of the Battle of the Coral Sea a psychological turning point in the Pacific war. It has always been a harsh world for the island wildlife in this beautiful tropical setting. The Coral Sea spawns cyclones that devastate nesting birds. Early sailing ships struck the jagged rampart and left their bones on the coral reef. Ben Cropp and his family explore this wonderful area in his vessel Freedom. It's a voyage of discovery and adventure to these emerald isles in a rainbow sea.

• Ben Cropp's Wild Australia | DVD | (17/01/2011) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-3.49 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The Dugong is an elusive animal thought to have given rise to the legend of the mermaid. Around the world Dugong have been hunted to near extinction. Australia is their last sanctuary and even here they are on the decline from gill netting and indigenous hunting. Ben Cropp searches the tropical waters for this endangered species. In Shark Bay Western Australia he finds a healthy huge herd. But on the east coast there is a fifty percent reduction in numbers. In the Torres Strait Ben films indigenous hunters harpooning Dugong. The hunters are held in high esteem for as well as being an important food source Dugong are of great social and cultural significance to these people. In Vanuatu Ben meets a most friendly Dugong that loves to hug and nuzzle divers and shows remarkable intelligence in the way it captures turtles and brings them back to the natives as an offering of friendship.